Firehouse Five...Revisited!

 A while back I shared my Ward Kimball signed Firehouse Five Plus Two Crashes a Party album. At the time there were still some questions about it. For example, it was signed by Ward to George Pal, who obviously had to be the film maker, but I wasn't sure if they were friends or what. 

"Well, there is this new dumaflatchy thingy called AI that you can ask purty near anything of and get a heapin' helpin' of info with the chick of a button!" (old prospector character spits- we hear hammer on railroad rail sound effect- he exits right)

Well thank you, Prospector Bob! 

Now where were we? Oh yeah, AI. I fed these pictures of my album into an AI program and got the following information...

"This autographed album is a classic piece of mid-century Dixieland jazz memorabilia, tying together Disney animation legends, Hollywood creativity, and a playful party vibe. Here's a breakdown of what it is, its context, and the personal inscription.

The Album: Firehouse Five Plus Two Crashes a Party!

Release Details: This is a 1960 LP (catalog number M12038) on the Good Time Jazz label, a specialty imprint founded by jazz enthusiast Lester Koenig (a Disney acquaintance who started the label specifically to record this band). It's a high-fidelity mono pressing (with stereo versions like S10038 released alongside), running about 38–43 minutes across 12 tracks."

I kind of feel like I'm cheating on an essay, but there's more. Like who exactly was on this album? Well...

"Ward Kimball: Trombone, leader, sound effects (Disney animator/director, one of the "Nine Old Men")

Danny Alguire: Trumpet (former LAPD fingerprint expert, Disney assistant director)

George Probert: Soprano sax (jazz musician who joined Disney later)

Frank Thomas: Piano (Disney animator, another "Nine Old Man")

Dick Roberts: Banjo (Disney artist)

Don Kinch: Helicon (tuba; musician and Disney sound man)

Eddie Forrest: Drums (Disney animator)"

But what about the signature, Mr. AI?

"The Autograph: Ward Kimball to George Pal

Inscription: The handwritten note reads "To George / from / Ward Kimball" (with an arrow pointing to the signature), personalized for George Pal.

Kimball, the band's irreverent chief, signed multiple FH5+2 albums this way for Pal—suggesting a friendly exchange between colleagues who shared Hollywood's golden era."

AI even said why Ward and George were friends...

"The Recipients' Connection:

Ward Kimball (1914–2002): Disney legend who animated Jiminy Cricket, the Mad Hatter, and Pecos Bill; directed shorts like Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (1953 Oscar winner). A train enthusiast and jazz nut, he formed FH5+2 after lunchtime jams at the studio revealed fellow animators' hidden talents. He was the band's constant force, adding vaudeville flair with washboards and sirens.

George Pal (1908–1980): Hungarian-born producer/director of innovative stop-motion "Puppetoons" (1930s–1940s) and sci-fi classics like Destination Moon (1950), When Worlds Collide (1951 Oscar for effects), and The War of the Worlds (1953). After emigrating to the U.S., he collaborated loosely with Disney circles (e.g., influencing early TV animation) and knew Kimball through LA's animation/jazz scene. Pal collected jazz records, and this inscription hints at Kimball gifting it as a nod to their mutual love of whimsical, boundary-pushing art.

Kimball once said in an interview:  “We’d play jazz at lunch, then go animate mice and ducks. George Pal understood that — he built whole worlds out of puppets and sparks. Same spirit.” "

So, yes, they were friends. Pretty good friends, it seems. And this album is a fun, and strangely touching, tribute to their friendship.

As for the value of the album? AI says that because it came from the George Pal estate, and has the signature to Pal, it raises the value above a typical signed item. And Ward signed relatively few items. It estimates it at 450.00+. Not bad, but I won't be selling any time soon. 

So until next time, keep searching for treasure (and don't feel bad about using AI to get info on it! ;-)

Book Look!

 As a collector, I have several books in my library that have helped me in my appreciatuin and understanding of my collections. The one I'm going to share today isn't new (having been published in 2005), but it IS one of the most interesting and insightful records of childrens' playthings that I have ever found. Here it is...

This is a fairly large book, being about a foot high and a bit more than that wide, but it's easier to handle than most "coffeetable books." Here is the inside of the cover...

As you can see, the strength of this book is that it talks about the people that invented the toys and games as well as the toys and games themselves. I've used facts from this book in previous posts, in fact. 

The contents are divided up by decade...but not entirely. As you can see, Wham-O and Marvin Glass get their own chapters.

Each chapter has a "Toy Timeline" that shows when toys came out.

And the illustrations are all beautiful. The slightly large format makes for some really nice pictures! 

So, who was the researcher that put all of this together? Why, an industry insider, of course. Here's his (slightly tounge in cheek toned) bio.

By the way, the sections are color coded on the endpapers. 

And here we have the glowing reviews! I must say, I agree with them.

So there you have it! This book is an unusual combination of a good read that actually has a lot of really good historic information included. I highly recommend checking it out  you can find it on Amazon in hardback for less than thirty bucks!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

An Actually Creepy Game

 Happy Halloween!!!

This week I'm offering up a game that is a departure from our cute, fun ghosties. This game actually leans into the whole "creepy, spooky" vibe, and actually largely succeeds. The game is...

That's right. In 1995 Mattel (of Hot Wheels and Barbie fame) released a game for teens through adults that didn't try to make spooky things cute. Let's look inside, shall we?

The bottom of the box....

There are a LOT of written instructions to this game, which is weird because the "official" instructions are on video (more on that later).

This is what you see when you first open the box. It gives a pretty good rundown of how things are set up and the general idea of the game, which is this:

 You are a spooky spook or a creepy creep. You have to journey to the Well of Fears and not pull out your own "worst fear" to win the game. If you pull your own slip, you start over. The real kicker? The whole thing is on a strict timer, and if time runs out, you lose. 

Here is an overview of those creeps you might choose to be...

And if you want more written instructions, here we have the "graphic novel" version.

After all of that, we get to the actual parts of the game...

Here is a (kinda) set up game board. It's pretty big. Those six sections flip over. The "sewers" are on the other side. The Soul Rangers hang out there...

A top down view...

You collect keys as you travel. These keys give you abilities. Not all player's abilities are the same, so everyone gets one of these cards.

Oh, and remember that I said you're not supposed to be cute? Here's what this character looks like...

Each character also has this nifty Quick Reference Card. It sums up things rather nicely.

This is an example of a "Fate" card...

And dueling cards. High card wins, of course.

The Well of Fears. You're supposed to write your worst fear on those slips of paper, but everyone I know just puts their name. It works the same way and you don't have to think...

And this is the kicker. You see, the entire game is overseen by The Gatekeeper, who not only keeps time, but also butts in by yelling "STOP!!!" at weird times and then messing up people's turn. He's on video, so it can be pretty jarring. You don't want it to be your turn when he pops up, so there's some stress there. Also, when he's not around, the tape plays weird music and noises which tend to get to you after a while.

Now, I'm sure all of that was clear as mud, so I found this video to explain it better...

Instructions

Got it? It's really not hard. The actual game instructions are on the videotape, but there's a lot of theatrics so this one was a little clearer.

How does it play? Well, it's fun...but it's also pretty creepy. The background sounds and the Gatekeeper suddenly popping in and not being even slightly cute or nice can wear on you after a while. By the way, they also have the Gatekeeper on DVD and even on You Tube so you don't need a VHS machine any more. 

All in all, although I like this game, I think I prefer the more lighthearted offerings. I guess I'm more of a kid at heart.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Murder, Most Fun....

 For our third Halloween month post, we move away from ghosties and toward making them. Our game this week is a family favorite, 13 Dead End Drive, where the object is to pretty much murder everyone. Fun! Watch your back, here we go!

The box sets the scene pretty well. You see your rich aunt has died and you have to whipe out various heirs until you get her fortune...

Which is explained in even more detail on the back of the box...

And here is the cast of thousands! Ok, actually thirteen, but there are a lot of targets...er... folks in this game.

And here is the set up board in all of it's glory! If you have a degree in set construction, it will probably come in handy here. It actually takes about 20 minutes to put all of this together. Still, I think its worth it! This is the "ready to start the game" configuration, with all of the people around the table and the detective on the far end of the path.

Let's get a closer look at the traps, shall we? They are, after all, the real stars of the game. We'll start with the suit of armor that tends to tumble onto unsuspecting (former) heirs.

Next we have a library ladder that is a bit less stable than one would like...unless that "one" is looking to off someone! (Insert evil laughter)

Phantom of the opera, anyone? This light fixture might bring back memories of that musical. But only until it hits your head!

Ah, the fireplace...that eats people. No biggie, really. Everyone likes toasted marsh. .uh....human.

And I wouldn't suggest taking these stairs, as they will probably end up taking you...out!

Here are the instructions for the game. Give them a read and you'll find that for such a complicated set up, the game plays pretty easily. 

There you have it! My family loved this game! Of course, my family was much larger back then...(Insert more evil laughter)

Oh, here's something fun! 

Commercial!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure! (Insert evil laugh one more time, just for fun...)